“Teris wouldn’t torture him. Don’t you think that’s suspicious?” Talisyn demanded. “There’s something the Olds are keeping from us. They didn’t bring Lucien back from imprisonment out of the goodness of their hearts!”
“Then let’s do what Teris didn’t.” Branok’s voice dripped with hatred. He leaned close to me, bracing his hands on either arm of the chair. “Why would you convince Alina to run away with you? You don’t care about what’s best for her at all. Do you think my father will ever stop hunting her?”
I met his cold jade-green eyes.
“No, I guess he won’t. So maybe it’s time you were a man and stood up to the Olds, Branok.”
It was no surprise when Branok cold-cocked me. The chair started to tilt back, but Talisyn caught the back and tilted me upright again.
“Don’t do that again,” Talisyn warned him.
“Or what are you going to do?” Branok dared him.
“This is what my father wanted.” Jaik looked between them all, frowning; he didn’t even bother to look at me. “All of us at each other’s throats. Do you think we could stop playing into his hands?”
“Sure,” Branok said, that vicious edge back in his voice. “Are you going to stop playing his game when it comes to Caldren?”
Jaik’s eyes narrowed. “You’re one of my oldest and best friends, but sometimes I detest you.”
Branok abruptly reared back and kicked me in the chest, knocking my chair over. This time, even Talisyn didn’t manage to catch it.
“I’m doing this,” Branok warned Talisyn. “Jaik, hold him back.”
“Lucien isn’t Honor,” Jaik told Talisyn. “And if he was, we’ve done so many other things to him…” He seemed to stumble at the thought.
Branok straddled me, the weight of his body making it hard to draw a breath. I heaved my hips, trying to throw him, as he pulled a vial of liquid from inside his jacket. He muttered the words of a spell, his hand pinching my nose shut. I couldn’t breathe. I thrashed from side to side, trying to escape him.
“Time for me to try another truth potion,” he muttered. “This one will be a little more effective than the last. This one will hurt.”
I couldn’t bear it anymore, and my lips parted as I breathed in a desperate, ragged gasp. I tried to shut my lips again, but he was already pouring the liquid down my mouth. I sputtered, trying to cough it out, but his big hand pressed my mouth closed, pushed my chin up, forced me to swallow. The taste in my mouth was bitter and burnt, tearing down my throat, leaving it sore.
“May the darkness of your lies catch up to you,” he muttered, and I wasn’t sure if those words were a part of his spell or not. His eyes glinted darkly as he watched me. “Do you know where my sister went?”
“No,” I managed, my voice coming out a gasp with him on top of me.
He tilted his head to one side, studying me. “Do you know where she’s going?”
“No.” This time, pain washed over me, and darkness touched the edges of my vision. All I could see was Branok’s face as a look of satisfaction came over.
“Try again,” he ordered. “You’re going to get Alina killed, you selfish bastard! Where did she go?”
“I don’t know!”
Pain burned through every nerve in my body, and I screamed. Worst of all, the darkness at the edges of my vision swallowed me, and suddenly I couldn’t see a damned thing. I thrashed, trying to reach out to find something that grounded me, but all I could feel was Branok’s body pressing me into the ground.
“Stop!” Talisyn yelled in the distance, then I heard a thud. Jaik must’ve wrestled him against the wall.
“Tell me,” Branok said, his voice warning.
I shook my head, and pain spiked through every nerve again, unrelenting. My stomach wrenched as if I’d vomit, but I was lying on my back and I fought the rise of bile.
I couldn’t see, but I knew the men were there in the room with me. I knew Talisyn was fighting for me. Jaik and Branok were trying to protect the women they loved, even if they were acting like monsters. Even though they hated me now, they wouldn’t kill Lucien Finn. I clung to those truths—and to them. The pain receded, and my vision cleared until I could see Branok staring down at me, his face at the center of that darkness.
“You are such a fool,” I said softly, and my voice came out affectionate even through the brokenness.
Banok’s face tightened with fury.
He used his magic to hurt me every time I lied. But that didn’t stop me. I fought his spell. There was that cruel darkness in his gaze, but it wasn’t all of Branok; I clung to that, and it gave me the strength to resist.
Jaik finally stopped Branok, with a hand on his shoulder. “There’s something else going on here.”
“I already told you.” Talisyn was breathing hard, as if was as ragged as I was now. “Lucien is Honor.”
Jaik stared down at me, looking uncertain. “No. He can’t be.”
Talisyn’s gaze met mine, and the room faded away to just the two of us. His breathing was ragged as mine, and I tried to smile.
“Whatever happens,” Talisyn told me, “I’ll watch over Hanna, Honor.”
My eyes blurred with tears.
Jaik frowned, knelt as if he’d just had an impulse. He pushed Branok’s shoulder. “Get off him.”
Branok reluctantly yielded, moving aside. Jaik cut the cords that still bound me to the chair.
“What the hell are you doing?” Branok demanded.
“Fuck if I know.” Jaik sounded genuinely confused. “I’m just… I’m trying to make sense of this, Branok.”
I rolled onto my side, my body still tingling from the pain that had flowed through every nerve like water.
The sound of feet landing on the roof wasn’t a good sign for me. The elder royals were back. Had they captured Alina and the real Lucien? I was surprised that the Olds had sent the guys out hunting because what were they going to do if Lucien was caught? Surely they had a plan; they always did. And it was always bad for any innocents caught in the hairs of their crossbows.
Every one of the men had stopped and looked concerned.
“No,” Branok said. “Not yet. I’m not ready…”
Arren leaned over me. “I can’t believe I have to say this. But I’m worried about you, Lucien.”
“Me too,” I managed. I staggered to my feet, my legs shaky beneath me.
The door burst open and Pend, Teris and Joachim walked in. Fury rolled off both of them, but I wasn’t sure how much of Pend’s was just an act, justification for killing me.
I opened my mouth to speak but Teris made a familiar sharp motion with his fingers. I instantly found my lips pressed closely together, myself unable to speak. I took a step forward, my hands rising into fists, and Talisyn grabbed me. “That’s not a good idea.”
“Don’t make it even easier for them, Lucien,” Arren warned.
“I don’t want to hear anything from you, unless you’re going to tell the truth about where Alina is.” Teris said. “You can gesture if you’re willing to talk. Get down on your knees as if to beg for your life and I’ll know to open your throat.”
“You can leave.” Penn told Arren and Talisyn. “This is Elder business.”